Slam Dunk - Past and Present
by pkelaiditis
Summary: What did the future hold for Sakuragi and other main characters after Sakuragi's first season on the team? I have a little time, so let's see if I can do justice to the Slam Dunk universe. This was supposed to be a one-shot about Sakuragi, but after writing Chapter 1, I think there's more stories to be told ...
1. Chapter 1

An updated story from the Slam Dunk universe, from the perspective of its main character. After writing the first 4 chapters, I've decided to go more in-depth into each character's journey to the NBA, using flashbacks interspersed with "today's" story. Chapters 1-3 are about the "present," and then Chapter 4 begins the flashbacks with the story of Sendoh. Enjoy!

Sakuragi looked at the basket, his dreams of an everlasting legacy in the NBA hanging by a thread. The Heat were down by 1, with 1 second left, and it was up to him to sink the two free throws he had been given after a hard foul from Bryant. It had been a long road which he had traveled to this point in his life, one with a lot of ups and downs, and at different points he had often questioned whether he could make it to the pinnacle of basketball. So close …

"An NBA champion!" Sakuragi thought to himself, as he spun the ball in his hands at the free-throw line. "Who would have thought it?"

As he looked towards the bench, he saw the rest of the Miami Heat, old-timers like James, Wade and Bosh, and wondered what would have happened if David Stern hadn't put in place the World Basketball League in 2003, just before he stepped down as NBA commissioner. Would he have still made it to the NBA? Would the dream of basketball dominance have died on the home floor of Shohoku, like he thought it would after his final year as captain of the team? Taking over from Miyagi as captain had been hard, so hard that all of the work that had come before seemed easy by comparison. Still, he had persevered.

He thought of Miyagi, who had taught him the art of the pass. Of Mitsui, who had taught him never to doubt himself. Of Rukawa, the three-time MVP in San Antonio, dubbed "Dr. R" by the American media, who had become a friendly rival these last few years, and the godfather of his young daughter. Of Gori, the calculating defender who had become, in real-life, a calculating physicist. Of Haruko, who first showed him the joy of basketball.

Sakuragi shot the ball, and it went in with a swish. Tied at 74 apiece, with the players on the Lakers beginning to get restless for the rebound they thought might be coming.

Sakuragi looked at the crowd, and thought back to the endless games in front of near-empty arenas in the early years of the WBL, of how it took all of Rukawa's genius with the basketball to entice young fans across Asia to support the Nippon Roar in its early years, along with Anzai-sensei's gift with strategy, to guide the Roar to its three-peat. He remembered being disheartened to learn that Rukawa, the "Master of Offense," had been signed by San Antonio before he had had a chance to entice a team to sign him, the "Czar of Defense," but how he had subsequently become so much more after years of tutelage by his brother-in-law, Akagi, and his other old Shohoku teammates, during friendly practice games with them both as members of the Roar as well as when they visited each other's home cities during the season. Then, the euphoria after his business managers, Kogure and Youhei, landed him a contract with the Heat, and the chance to build a winner in Pat Riley's system.

Sakuragi knew that he had had to put up with a lot of push-back from American fans in his first few years in the NBA, saying that Asians only knew how to pass … bad memories of Linsanity, no doubt. But, he and Rukawa had changed those perceptions, one as a scorer, setting offensive records long thought untouchable by anyone other than Wilt Chamberlain, and one as a top-notch scoring defender, the best since Rodman and Pippen. It took years, but now he had the chance to do what he and Rukawa had only dreamed of … lead an NBA team to the championship!

A final glance at the hoop, and Sakuragi knew what he had to do. As he shot the ball, and the other players on the court began to move in readiness for a possible rebound, he looked at the hoop, smiled, set his feet, and leaped from the free throw line towards the backboard. He knew he had shot it long, and he also knew where that ball was going to go. As Sakuragi continued elevating in his leap, rising towards the rafters, the crowd began rising to its feet. With a roar of triumph, he reached out, snagged the ball as it bounced off the back of the hoop, and began to bring the ball down through the hoop in a tomahawk jam.

Later that night, at home with Haruko, his daughter asked him what he had been yelling when he jammed the ball through the hoop and won the game for the Heat, and the championship to go with it. Sakuragi remarked that he couldn't remember, it was just a spur of the moment yell, and sent young Ayako to bed with a kiss on her forehead. Haruko knew better, though, and asked her husband the same question.

At first, Sakuragi also didn't answer his wife of so many years, but when asked by her a second time, he said that he had honored his old team and teammates, yelling out what he had believed then, after the game with the combined Ryonan-Shoyo team, and what he now believed about the next generation of Japanese basketball as a whole: "We are strong!"

Haruko chuckled, and rested her head on Sakuragi's shoulder. "I'm so proud of you, dear," she murmured. Sakuragi sighed with contentment, dreaming of a well-deserved few days off with his family, and then the work beginning again: the travel, the injuries, the endless practices. He wouldn't have it any other way.


	2. Chapter 2

Sakuragi's Frustration

Sakuragi looked around him, glaring at the empty South Beach practice facility. "Hm," he thought to himself, "it looks like I'm the only one here. Again. Why can't my teammates take things more seriously?" In fact, ever since "The Decision," it felt to Sakuragi that things on the Heat weren't working as well as they could. Sure, the championship win a few weeks ago was great, but the off-season was a time to retool your skills, build on what you had accomplished and look forward to more success in the future. His former coach and teammates at Shohoku had taught him that first and foremost. And yet, here in Miami, no one could be bothered to show up when coach Riley had set this time for a voluntary practice, with coach himself going off to find some more pomade for his hair once he figured out no one else would show up.

"It wasn't like this back on the Roar!" Sakuragi yelled in frustration, slamming the ball down on the court. Just then, one of the fire exit doors opened, and a shadow appeared in the doorway. Sakuragi squinted at the figure, and then his eyes widened in recognition as the figure walked onto the court.

"Rukawa! Fox! What are you doing in Miami? Have you come to congratulate this genius on being the first starting player from Japan to win a championship?"

Rukawa looked at Sakuragi as the door snicked shut behind him, shrugged, and picked up the ball Sakuragi had slammed onto the floor, frowning when he noticed how the ball had begun to deflate from the force of Sakuragi's throw. He knew that his friend, Sakuragi, had an immense amount of rage in him still, even after all these years, and apparently, he was feeling angry just now. About what, he had no idea, but rather than enrage him further by doing what he knew Sakuragi hated the most, dismissing or ignoring him, Rukawa decided to be compassionate with his longtime rival and now best friend, to see why Sakuragi was upset. A man of few words for so many years, he appreciated that his rivalry with Sakuragi had made him into a better person, one able to talk with a reasonable amount of calm, measured words. "No, idiot. I've come to say hi to my goddaughter. Where is the little one?"

Nothing could defuse Sakuragi like asking about the apple of his eye, and he walked over, holding out his hand to Rukawa at head level, who promptly slapped it in a high-five. "It's good to see you, fox."

Rukawa smiled slightly, as he knew just how much Sakuragi mellowed at the mention of either Ayako or Haruko. "And, yes, I also came to say congratulations. You would have made Anzai-sensei proud."

Sakuragi sat down on the floor, and Rukawa did the same. After a short silence thinking about their late mentor, Sakuragi said, "Fox, Ayako didn't come with me today because I wanted to practice with my teammates … but I am beginning to wonder: do I expect too much from American basketball players? Are they all this uninterested in improving themselves? I'm here, every day, shooting and dribbling and rebounding by myself, improving for next season, and no one else ever comes, even when the strength coach recommends a workout like he did for today. Then, they all moan at how hard coach is when they actually have to practice for real a week before preseason begins! James with his beer belly, the whiner Bosh and … well, you know about D-Wade …. What would the Old Man have said?"

Rukawa considered this outburst from Sakuragi, thinking back to how he and his late coach had been at loggerheads for a time over his desire to play basketball in America. He knew now that Anzai-sensei had been correct in telling him to wait, and he often wished that he could have said thank you to him while he was alive. But, that's what he got for being selfish and proud about his abilities, and it had been the eye-opener which had allowed him to reach out to his greatest rival, Sakuragi, in their time of grief over their shared mentor and role-model. From that, a true friendship had blossomed, and a healthy respect of each other's abilities. Rukawa finally said, "I don't know about Anzai-sensei, but I feel that we always have to prove ourselves. Americans know they can play basketball, but they also think that only they can play this game, that it is theirs. Sendoh showed them at the Olympics that it was the world's turn … our turn …."

"Sendoh …" Sakuragi looked at Rukawa, grinning. "How is Air Sendoh nowadays? Still thinking about a move to America? The media here couldn't stop talking about the Japanese Jordan, and how much the NBA could gain from a talent like himself."

Rukawa said, "That's why I have come to Miami. I wanted to tell you. It's not a dream this time, or talk. He is coming. Here. And so am I."

Sakuragi looked confused. "What do you mean? He is finally going to play in America? The last time I talked to him, he said yet again that a maestro like himself doesn't want to be forced to play streetball with thugs and D-Leaguers. 'International friendlies and national duty, and the WBL for kicks,' he said. With all of his endorsement deals, the 'spiky one' doesn't need to work for a living like the rest of us."

"Times have changed. Sendoh now wants the one thing that he has not achieved, an NBA championship, and to get it, he has forced the WBL to declare him a free agent, so he could sign with an NBA team. He has chosen Miami."

Sakuragi frowned. "There's no room on this team!"

Rukawa smiled. "There is now. I always wanted to play with Sendoh, even after he showed me that I could never beat him, but that I could be as good as him. Once I heard that he was coming to Miami, I decided to be selfish ..." Sakuragi laughed at this, remembering all the times in high school when Rukawa had thought himself above everyone else. Rukawa glared at Sakuragi, and then continued, "... and so I made it known that I wanted to play for Miami alone in the final year of my contract, and rather than losing the best offensive player in the game …" At this, Sakuragi snickered, earning himself a disdainful look from Rukawa. "Sorry. Old habit, 'Dr. R'."

Rukawa sighed, looked upwards for some help, but finding none forthcoming, looked back at Sakuragi and began again: "… Rather than losing the best offensive player in the game for nothing, the Spurs traded me for Bosh, James and Wade. I am now a Heat player."

Sakuragi jumped up in excitement, laughing maniacally. "Rukawa! With both you and I playing alongside Sendoh, we will be unstoppable!"

Rukawa got up, stretching his arms and legs. Then, he walked over to the ball bin, picked out another basketball, and began bouncing it idly with his right hand. He then slammed the ball forwards, off the court, and began racing forwards. Picking the ball out of the air, he first took two steps, and then began to leap forwards. As he began his leap, the same exit door Rukawa had walked through earlier opened once again, and three new figures appeared in the dim light beyond. Rukawa continued gaining elevation, and began to execute a 360 degree spin with the ball in his right hand. As the two men at the rear of this new group began arguing about who exactly was an old man, with one of them saying, "I chose to stay back to help the team!", the leading figure in the doorway continued to watch as Rukawa finished his spin, transferring the ball into his left hand before dunking the ball with authority.

Sendoh smiled to himself, watching Sakuragi running over to Rukawa to berate him on his dunking shortcomings. "This will be fun," Sendoh thought to himself. "A lot of fun."


	3. Chapter 3

A Mission …

Sendoh stood in the Heat's locker room at the team's South Beach training facility, sucking on a lemon peel. Sakuragi looked up from where he was changing, saw what Sendoh was doing, and laughed.

"Oi! Newbie! This isn't Japan. They don't suck on lemons here in America … here, have a Coke!" Sakuragi tossed Sendoh a can from the canister full of ice by the lockers, and Sendoh, surprised, dropped his lemon and snagged the can in mid-air.

Rukawa, watching Sendoh looking at the can suspiciously, sighed. "It won't bite."

Sendoh turned to Rukawa as he put the can down on a nearby bench, and smiled. "I'm still not used to you talking so much, Super Rookie." At this, Rukawa winced a bit, but Sendoh smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Rukawa, old habits die hard. It can't be helped. Tell me, why is no one else here? Where's the coach?"

On hearing Sendoh's questions, Sakuragi's face fell a bit, and he said, "Now you know my problem. This team system is too easy-going! It's all too easy! But, now that the old men are gone, we can take over." Glancing over at the bench where two other men sat, Sakuragi grinned. "Eh, Man of Fire?"

Mitsui glared at Sakuragi. "You know I hate that name! Bad enough I had to hear it throughout my senior year …"

The man next to Mitsui laughed, and replied, "Don't you mean senior years, Old Man? Remember, you're the one who couldn't let go of his dream."

Mitsui smiled. "True, Miyagi. No matter how much I tried to give it up for a career, basketball was in my blood. Then, with the coming of the Roar, I didn't have to give it up!" Miyagi and Sakuragi said at the same time, "MVP 2005!"

Everyone in the room except Rukawa laughed (though he did crack a small smile), after which a content silence descended on the room. Rukawa, having listened to the back-and-forth earlier, now answered Sendoh's questions. "That's why we have come to Miami, Sendoh. To show the world how great basketball can really be. We don't need an American coach for that. Just a good team full of people who want to win."

Sendoh looked around the room. With these four and himself, a good team was what they had, but knowing what he knew was coming, he also knew that winning wouldn't be as easy as the others thought. "I didn't come just to play with you guys. I bring news. Important news."

Sakuragi jumped up. "What news? Is someone else coming to play basketball in America as well? Is Wild Monkey coming? Fukuksu?"

Sendoh smiled. "They're all coming."

Mitsui and Miyagi turned to Sakuragi and Rukawa. "It's true," said Miyagi. "Once the Asian media found out that Sendoh had chosen to play in America, fans of the league's Asian teams demanded refunds. The WBL couldn't survive without Sendoh as its face in Asia and around the world, and once it realised this, all player contracts were voided and the league placed into bankruptcy protection. We're all free agents, thanks to Sendoh!"

Mitsui smiled. "And guess where the two of us just signed up to play?"

Sakuragi ran over to Mitsui and Miyagi, and started beating them on their backs. "Ah ha! I knew it! Wait until this genius shows you how to play in the NBA!"

Rukawa grinned despite himself. He had missed his favorite idiot ….

Sendoh continued: "All of the best players in Japan are now signing contracts in America. Maki, Jin, Fujima … Fukuda …. All in their primes, and all eager to renew old rivalries and settle old scores."

At that last name, Sakuragi had begun beating his own chest rather than the backs of Mitsui and Miyagi, to their immense relief. "Fukuksu! I shall beat him again! It has been too long since this genius destroyed him in Japan. Let him come. Let them all come! It will be just like the old days."

Rukawa listened to what Sakuragi was ranting about, but his mind was already thinking about potential match-ups for the coming year. "Maki …" he murmured. Sendoh, watching Rukawa, knew that, despite all that he had achieved in his career up to this point in time, he had never felt like the go-to man in Japan, what with Maki and himself, among others, dominating the league at various times, with either Maki or himself being the MVPs in the WBL during Rukawa's time in the league. Yes, Rukawa had won championships, but he had never been recognised as the best player. Sendoh knew that these omissions ate at Rukawa, and had driven him to succeed here in the NBA, just like the lack of an NBA championship had become a hole in his own playing career. "To be the best you must beat the best," Sendoh said quietly to himself, "and these players are definitely the best in the world. Beating up on Spanish and Croatian teams in the WBL may look like fun to fans, and such games padded my own scoring average, but I know I have made the right decision, just like in my senior year of high school …."

The next chapter will be a flashback to Ryonan vs Shohoku in the finals of the National Championships during Sendoh's third year on Ryonan's team, and his first as captain. Then, a flashforward to a game of basketball immortals ...


	4. Chapter 4

The Past - Shohoku vs Ryonan in the Final at the Nationals

Sendoh paused, confused by what was happening around him. Yes, the game was only two minutes old, and yet his team was already down by 5. He knew that Ryonan looked to him to set the tone, to make sure that the right team would, in the end, win. And yet ... so many fast breaks to start the game, and a full-court press! Shohoku wanted to win, and win big, or so it seemed ...

However … something else was wrong. Watching his first year centre, Hiro Koizumi, try and fail to dunk over the red-headed menace on Shohoku, Sakuragi, and then Sakuragi picking up the loose ball and firing a bullet-pass to Miyagi, to see him lay it up and in with ease … was it really the speed of the game? Was his team too slow?

Sendoh took the ball from Hikoichi, and began to dribble towards the Shohoku side of the court. Ah. The pest again. Super Rookie ... Rukawa ... tried to reach in, but Sendoh rotated away from Rukawa by pivoting on his left foot and then quickly moving back to his right. With Rukawa faked, Sendoh saw an easy path to the basket … damn, Sakuragi … again! He has become so good so fast, like his injury from last year never happened. Sendoh had never seen such fast rotation. It was almost as if Sakuragi had read his mind.

Sendoh shifted and brought the ball back to the top of the key, and began looking for someone to pass to. But, all options were closed … again with the steal! In bemusement, Sendoh watched helplessly at Mitsui, the 4th year veteran on account of his grades and his desire to play basketball and to win, accelerated away from him after the steal, and then suddenly pull up and shoot from behind the arc on the Ryonan side of the court. He could hear the loud swish of the ball as it went through the hoop … and all of a sudden, the lead was 10.

Sendoh could hear his coach berating his teammates from the sidelines … but what was the point of that? Hm. Which play next? Perhaps a switch-play with Fukuda? No. Which play, then? Why was he so unsure of the right play? Then, everything began to slow down, as Sendoh began dribbling up the court once again. He could see Fukuda slowly waving his arm on the left for a pass, but he also began to see what had been hidden from him. Sendoh now knew it in his heart of hearts: he didn't have the necessary will to win.

As the ball continued on its downward trajectory to the court in mid-dribble, Sendoh knew that this game was already lost for Ryonan. Yes, Ryonan had made it to the Finals, and yes, they were a good team … but their leader, himself, wasn't a good leader. Yes, Uozomi had passed the captaincy to him after last year's loss to Shohoku, but while he had run drills with coach and did all he could to lead by example … it was not enough.

Not enough to overcome his personal dislike for the hard training. Sendoh had always found that basketball came easy to him. Sure, he practised, but he did so by himself, to hone his skills. He was an ace, the ace. His job was to score. To win. What others did … it was like water off a duck's back. It didn't bother him ... but it sometimes excited him. He had to admit, playing against Rukawa was an immense challenge, but playing against someone like Sakuragi … that second year didn't know his own weaknesses, but he played for the love of the game more than anyone else Sendoh had ever seen. You had to be an idiot to not see how he and Rukawa didn't get along, but Sakuragi's passion for the game made everyone around him better, especially Rukawa. The arguing between those two fired both themselves and the entire Shohoku team up, and you couldn't defeat that will to win. Stop it temporarily, yes, but not for a full 40 minutes. Not one man. Not even himself. He, Ryonan's captain, didn't have enough will to win. Skill, yes, but skill was something a team couldn't feed off of in difficult times, times like now.

As the ball bounced back off the court, Sendoh saw Miyagi begin to move towards him. Trying to use … what was the use … wait, why was he thinking like this?

Sendoh shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, and knew that to avoid Miyagi's defense, he needed to put on a burst of speed to rival his, to work behind Hikoichi, using him as a screen to try to get a clear shot. As Sendoh stopped and then began to go forward once again, changing his dribble from the left to right hand and then back again to confuse Miyagi, he heard a sound.

What was that, Sendoh wondered to himself … and then he couldn't move to his right anymore. He saw Miyagi stop suddenly, his eyes widening in horror. Hmm. As Sendoh tried to look behind him to see what Miyagi was looking at, he noticed that his right knee had begun to loudly click and then, without warning, jolts of pain began running to his brain as his right knee buckled. The ball bounced away from Sendoh as he collapsed to his left knee, with his right leg folding up under him. He heard other sounds then: Miyagi yelling for a timeout; Sakuragi telling players on his bench to call for a stretcher; people in the crowd gasping in disbelief; and a final, half-snapping, half-tearing sound in his right knee.

Sendoh continued to fall, and in that split instant he realized that his game was over. As he toppled over onto his right side, Sendoh felt ... a sense of relief. He knew that, on this day, Shohoku was the better team for their teamwork. They worked together as a team, much better than Ryonan, with everyone contributing and assisting in a myriad of ways, on and off the court. No team could have totally compensated for the loss of Akagi, but then no team had a player like Sakuragi, who rehabbed like a fiend to come back from his back injury even stronger than ever. His dedication to the sport had made every other Shohoku player better, to want to win.

Sendoh knew that Ryonan couldn't do the same. The game was structured too much around himself. Without Sendoh, Ryonan was a pale imitation of a good basketball team. Now, at least, they could play for themselves. They would still lose, but it would be Ryonan losing to Shohoku, not Shohoku outlasting the skills and talent of himself.

Now, Sendoh could see Fukuda crying as he looked down at his destroyed knee. "Oi. Fukuda. Don't worry" Fukuda looked down at Sendoh in disbelief, not understanding how Sendoh could speak so clearly and calmly at a time like this. Sendoh smiled. He was a third year player, but he knew that his time wasn't up, couldn't be up. He would pull a Mitsui ... and come back for one more year. "Ryonan will be back next year, and so will I. This is not the end. Next time, we will play as a team."

The rest of the Ryonan team, and Shohoku's players, listened in silence as Sendoh talked to Fukuda. As a stretcher appeared from one of the locker rooms, Sendoh managed a smile. Then, he looked up at the players from Shohoku, and saw tears in the eyes of Sakuragi, as a distraught Mitsui said to Miyagi, "This is not the way I wanted to win it!" Sendoh smiled. "Hey. Don't be sad. It couldn't be helped. You were better than us, today. Not next year. Next year, I'm coming, Sakuragi. Be ready."

Sakuragi wiped away his tears, and smiled. He knew how hard it was to come back from a serious injury, and had been looking forward to besting Sendoh and Ryonan, showing especially Sendoh just how good he had become since last year's game, and even since earlier, in the regionals. "We will win, Sendoh. But, we won't enjoy it. I wanted to beat you. If you come back next year …"

Sendoh grimaced as the paramedics lifted hi up onto the stretcher. Then, he said, "I will be back. Count on it."

The crowd applauded as Sendoh was carried off. It was a sound Sendoh has thought he had heard many times in the past, but only now, he realised there was a distinct difference between adulation and appreciation. He knew now that he didn't want to be idolized. No, he wanted to be appreciated. He wanted Ryonan to be appreciated. It would take time, and hard work. But, it would happen.

Fast forward nine months

The light was fading fast as Sendoh walked up the short flight of stairs to the public basketball court. It was his first time playing streetball since his injury, but what better way to test his recovery than to try some set plays on an unforgiving surface with some equally unforgiving opponents.

As he opened the gate to the court, he saw another person turn to see who had come in as he shot a basketball through the hoop on the far side of the court, with two other people watching. Sendoh smiled, happy to see his new team-work specialists waiting for him. As Haruko and Rukawa stepped into the fading light on the court, the shooter yelled, "Ah! You finally kept your promise! What took you so long? This genius has been waiting!"

And so have I, Sendoh thought to himself. And so have I.


	5. Chapter 5

The Past II

Sakuragi watched as Sendoh tried to shot a floating jumper over Rukawa, only to have Rukawa reject the shot with authority. Hmm, thought Sakuragi, Sendoh isn't back at 100% yet. That shot would have gone in prior to his injury, but it looks like he hasn't regained his full jumping ability yet. His stamina looks good though, having been on the court for over an hour and not even breaking a sweat yet. What a difference a couple of weeks of hard training had made! Sakuragi thought back to his own hard training at the hand of his own coach, and smiled at the memory of his gang not believing that he could shoot the thousands upon thousands of shots which he had been asked to shoot, all in the name of becoming a real basketball player. Hmm. Where was Youhei anyways ...

After rejecting Sendoh's shot, Rukawa held up his hand to stop the one-on-one match he was playing with Sendoh. Sendoh, who had just retrieved the ball, looked at Rukawa with puzzlement. "Oi. Super Rookie …" Rukawa's eyes narrowed, and Sendoh quickly corrected himself. "Sorry, Rukawa. Old habit. Why are you stopping the game? I was just getting warmed up. And, I'm still winning."

Rukawa sighed, and turned to the watching Sakuragi. "Sendoh needs more than I can give him to regain his full abilities. I can match up well with him, but he needs to play as part of a team again. Not Ryonan, though, as he needs a test of equals to fully regain his confidence."

Sakuragi chortled. "For once, Fox, we agree. In fact, while you have been playing against Sendoh, this genius had Haruko-chan make a couple of calls, and Youhei has been busy picking up some people using a scooter he borrowed …."

Sendoh and Rukawa looked a little uncomfortable at Sakuragi's mention of Youhei, and Sakuragi noticed. "Ah, you two! It's not like that! He really borrowed a scooter! And, Haruko borrowed Gori's car as well. Ah! Here they are!"

Sendoh and Rukawa turned to where Sakuragi indicated, and saw Haruko and Youhei walking through the gate of the court followed by five other people.

"Ah! Haruko-chan! Who did you find for a game of pick-up?" Sakuragi shouted. Then, as he noticed who the five other people were, he began to laugh even more, and pointing to the biggest of them, yelled, "I knew it! You couldn't resist the temptation!"

Just then, a big fist came down on Sakuragi's head, leaving a smoking egg right in the middle of his forehead. "Idiot! I came to help Sendoh! Not because of you!" said Akagi. "Plus, I needed a break from studying." Akagi turned to look at Sendoh. "How's the knee?"

Sendoh jumped up and down a bit, and replied, "Not a problem. University?"

Akagi frowned. "Harder than I thought. But, I still have time for basketball on the university team, so I can't complain too much."

One of the other people who had walked onto the court with Akagi laughed. "Complain? Akagi would never do that! Three times we've met over the past year, and all I hear is how good Shohoku is doing. You'd think he still played on the team!" said Maki.

Jin smiled at Maki's comments. "We all want our region to do well at Nationals, which is why, when Youhei called us up to come by for a game to help you train, we couldn't help but come. So, no complaints from either of us."

Kiyota then turned to Youhei and said, "No complaints about being here, but that scooter ride was definitely something to complain about!"

Youhei shrugged. "Eh. I actually borrowed it off Takamiya, so it's not my fault that it went so slow. Still, Hanamichi, we got here in the end, in time, yes?"

Kiyota stopped Sakuragi from replying by yelling, "In time? I lost years of my life on that thing!"

"Quit yelling at Youhei, Wild Monkey! You're here to help, not berate!"

Kiyota looked set to reply, when all of a sudden, the fifth person from the newly arrived group put a hand on his shoulder. "Oi. Stop this nonsense, Kiyota. Learn from your seniors, and be sensible," said Fujima.

Maki gave Kiyota a punch in the head, and while Kiyota was moaning in pain and Sakuragi yelled at Kiyota for being such a fool, Maki turned to the bemused Sendoh to say, "Sorry, Sendoh. We're all here to help you. We came for a match. Four-on-four, first to fifty. You up to it?"

Sendoh smiled. "I'm ready. Teams?"

Fujima stepped in. "Maki and I were talking on the way over, and we thought we'd make it hard for you. How about Akagi, myself, Maki and Rukawa versus yourself, Sakuragi, Kiyota and Jin?"

Sendoh thought it over, and then said, "Hard? You give me a pure three point shooter in Jin, a monster rebounder and good all-round player like Sakuragi, and an offensive player like Kiyota, plus me, against an old man and former MVP, Super Rookie, the master of the Gorilla Dunk and a master strategist like yourself? Ah. Sounds fair."

Fujima stared hard at Sendoh. "We'll win, of course, but it will be good training for you."

Sendoh turned to look at Kiyota and Sakuragi, who all looked as if they could kill with the fires burning in their eyes after hearing Fujima, and Jin, who was calmly shooting three after three into the hoop at the far end of the court. Sendoh then turned back to look at Akagi, Fujima, Maki and Rukawa. He sighed. "It can't be helped. You'll lose, but we'll have fun beating you."

As Akagi, Maki, Fujima and Rukawa huddled together for a discussion, Sendoh walked over to where Sakurgai, Kiyota and Jin were now waiting for him. As Sendoh walked up, Sakuragi spoke up. "Wild Monkey and I were just talking, and we agree to call a truce for this game. We will show these elders, and the Fox, just who is the best!" Kiyota, nodding, also spoke. "If the Red-Haired Monkey makes a mistake, I promise not to laugh too much … I also want to show them how good we can be." Jin spoke next. "They are a confident team, but if we play to our strengths and their weaknesses, we will prevail."

Sendoh thought for a moment, and then realised that this was really a great thing his friends and rivals were doing for him. If this game couldn't teach him to be part of a greater whole, then there was no hope for him as a team player for Ryonan in this year's Nationals. Here, he was among equals, and it would take teamwork to win. Sendoh spoke. "Okay. To win, we need to stop Maki above all others. How about Sakuragi on Maki, Kiyota against Fujima, Jin against Akagi and me on Rukawa to start with, but freedom to move about as needed for defense. We are at a disadvantage in terms of size, but if Sakuragi can move fast enough …."

Sakuragi pounded his chest with pride. "Have no fear, this genius will do what's necessary!"

Sendoh smiled. I know you will, Sakuragi. I'm counting on it.

Haruko, who had been nominated as referee by her brother, called both teams over to centre. Youhei, the scorer, was stationed over by the gate with the portable scoring rack Akagi had brought from Shohoku in his car on the trip over.

Akagi, waiting to face Sakuragi in the circle, instead found himself against Jin. "What's this? Is Sakuragi afraid to face me? Just like he had to work up the nerve to ask me if it was all right to date my sister? What does Haruko see in you?"

Haruko, blushing, said, "Big Brother, you know that Rukawa was my crush, but Sakuragi and I spent a lot of time together during his rehabilitation. He opened up to me, and I to him. He thought it would be proper to ask for your blessing before we dated, though, so you wouldn't cause problems for him. He's not afraid of you. Don't make fun of him!"

Sakuragi glared at Akagi. "Hey, Gori, I didn't want to make you feel sorry for yourself too early in the game, so Jin has agreed to step in to save you some embarrassment. Don't worry. I'll teach you some manners later in the game. Count on it."

Maki smiled. "All right. Let the game begin!"

Haruko tossed the ball in the air, and Akagi soared up to tip the ball over towards Fujima. However, as Fujima reached out to get the ball, Kiyota jumped in front to grab the ball. He then sped up the court. As Maki tried to get in front of him, Kiyota flicked the ball to his left, where an open Jin, who had sped past Akagi without actively contesting the jump ball to start the game, caught and shot the ball. Swish. Youhei held up three fingers. Maki looked at Fujima, who shrugged and said, "What? He caught me off-guard."

Rukawa threw the ball in from behind the line, to Maki. Maki dribbled past centre, and then passed off to Rukawa, who was promptly shadowed by Sendoh. Too early in the game to go one-on-one yet, thought Rukawa, who then passed off to his left to Maki, who had begun to power towards the basket through the middle. As he went up for a lay-up, thinking he had a free basket thanks to Rukawa's crisp pass, Sakuragi flew in from the side to reject the ball as it left Maki's hand. Maki, shocked, landed and then went after the ball as it rolled to the right side of the court. Sakuragi, though, had the same thought, and went streaking by Maki to grab the ball.

"Ha! This genius is …." He didn't get to finish the sentence, though, as Fujima reached in, stole the ball, and threw a bullet-pass in to Akagi at the top of the key before Kiyota could reach him on defense. Akagi, expecting to see Jin defending the basket behind him, turned to instead find Sakuragi, who had sprinted over after being stripped of the ball by Fujima. "Surprised to see me, Gori? What did you expect? This genius is full of surprises!?" Akagi laughed. "Not what did I expect … more like, what did I want. I will crush you!" However, before Akagi could begin to power in towards the basket against Sakuragi, Jin flitted in to tap the ball out of Akagi's hands, who then had to enure a laughing "Nyahahahahahaha!" from Sakuragi.

The ball bounced to Sendoh, who began to sprint up the court towards the opposing hoop. Suddenly, Fujima appeared out of nowhere in front of Sendoh, forcing Sendoh to pass to his left, where Kiyota was free. Kiyota faked a shot over Rukawa, and then threw the ball around Rukawa's right to Sendoh, who had rotated by Fujima using a Kiyota screen. Sendoh then leaped up and slammed the ball through the hoop with authority.

Teamwork, thought Sendoh. Let's see if my team can work this well all game.

Maki, wiping some seat off of his face with his shirt, looked at Sendoh's team with interest. Hmm, he thought, Sendoh has himself a good team there. Let's see what I can do to make it a bit harder for him.

Fujima passed the ball from behind the hoop to Akagi, who promptly relayed the ball up the floor to Rukawa, who in return used a burst of speed to blow past a surprised Sendoh. However, a quick double-team by Kiyota and Jin forced Rukawa to pass the ball over to Maki, who found himself facing Sakuragi. "Old Man, don't try it." Maki smiled. "I don't need to try it. I just do it."

With that, Maki began to back into Sakuragi, who used all of his strength to keep the former MVP from forcing him back. Feeling Sakuragi's resistance, Maki then spun off of his rigid body to run right past him, and slammed the ball into the hoop.

Maki looked at Sakuragi. "Game on." Sakuragi yelled, "Oi. Old Man! It's still 5 to 2 in our favour!" Maki said, "Not for long …."


	6. Chapter 6

The Past III - Game on!

Sendoh stood near centre-court, out of position after trying to react to Rukawa's blazing burst of speed earlier in the possession, and motioned to Kiyota and an irate Sakuragi to come over before in-bounding the ball. "Need a break already, Sendoh?" called Akagi. Maki, on his way back to centre-court, laughed. "No matter. Take all the time you need. We'll still win."

Sakuragi, instead of berating Kiyota for his double-team failure, looked at Sendoh. "Hey. Sendoh. What's the plan?" Jin, smiling, said to Sakuragi, "Nice to see you've matured even more since we last met, Sakuragi. No need to say we didn't try, because after all, you know Maki." Sakuragi nodded, and replied, "You and Wild Monkey tried your best, but the Old Man has too many skills for even this genius to completely stop by himself. But, together …."

"Exactly," said Sendoh, "we will win this game together. Maki will have his moments, as will the rest of his tram, but if we force them to work hard all game, we can beat them in the end. I'll stay on Rukawa. Sakuragi, we need you to stay on Maki. Jin, stop Fujima. And, Kiyota …."

Kiyota laughed. "Take on Maki? It will be my pleasure. I'll make him play at both ends of the court, and then we'll see what happens at the end. But, Red-Headed Monkey …." At this, Kiyota turned to Sakuragi. "… we need you to be in two places at once. If Maki gets by me, rotate over and stop Maki from penetrating until I can recover."

Sakuragi laughed. "No problem, Wild Monkey. I'll be double-trouble for both Maki and Akagi."

Sendoh took the ball back behind their in-bounding line, and then passed the ball out to Jin. Immediately, Fujima went for a quick steal, but Jin spun off of Fujima's reach-in to the opposite side, and then fired a pass to Kiyota. Maki, however, read the play, and tapped the ball away from Kiyota to Rukawa.

Sendoh, who had begun to move up-court as a pass option for Kiyota, now backpedaled in anticipation of an attack by Rukawa. So as to not disappoint Sendoh, Rukawa dribbled and then pressed an attack right at Sendoh before faking to his left. As Rukawa then moved back to his right in preparation for a quick shot, he was surprised to see Sendoh had not reacted at all, but was still waiting for him. Bastard, thought Rukawa. Just back from a serious injury and he still reads me like a book. Pass off.

Rukawa kept his eyes on Sendoh as he faked a shot, and then fired an overhead pass in to Akagi. Akagi grabbed the high lob out of the air, and then spun around to eye up a shot. Not surprised to see Sakuragi in front of him, Akagi then used his left shoulder to push into Sakuragi while dribbling the ball out of his reach with his right hand. A frustrated Sakuragi reached in to swat at the ball, at which point Akagi powered past Sakuragi and began to lumber towards the hoop. Sakuragi, though, sprinted back and, as Akagi went up for a massive Gorilla Dunk, swatted the ball out of his hands from behind. Akagi feel to the ground in a heap, and looked over at his sister, who smiled and shrugged her shoulders at her older brother. Damn it! thought Akagi. He's gotten faster since the last time I saw him!

Meanwhile, Sakuragi had passed off to Kiyota, who had run into the impenetrable defense of Maki. No matter what Kiyota did, he couldn't get past Maki's outstretched arms. Suddenly, Rukawa and Fujima came in to triple-team Kiyota, at which point he began to lose his handle on the ball. Before he lost it completely, though, he lobbed a hig arcing ball towards the hoop. Let's see if I'm right …, though Kiyota. Just as he began the thought, he heard a roaring sound from behind him, and then a blur as something red flashed past. Yep. I'm right ….

It was Sakuragi, who had seen Kiyota in trouble and trusting the Wild Mokey's basketball instincts, had blazed towards the hoop. "Finally, Wild Monkey, you have accepted this genius' basketball abilities. Slam …."

However, before Sakuragi could finish his exclamation, and just as he managed to get his hands on Kiyota's well-timed alley-oop pass, a massive arm came up from behind and swatted both the ball and Sakuragi to the ground. "Ten years too early!" Akagi roared, and then, picking up the loose ball, he yelled out, "Fast break!" and passed the ball to Fujima.

Fujima saw only Sendoh and Jin to oppose a rush by himself, Maki and Rukawa, as Kiyota was falling behind the play after putting so much of his energy into his last possession. Okay, thought Fujima, let's do it with some style. Fujima passed off to Rukawa, who set up as if he was going to shoot a fade-away over Sendoh, but then at the last moment passed off to Maki, who blew through Jin and finished the play with a beautiful reverse dunk which ended with him hanging backwards off the front of the hoop.

Maki laughed as Youhei changed the score to 5-4 in Sendoh's team's favour. "Good defense, guys, but no finish. Sendoh, you may have to do this all on your own!"

Sendoh knew that doing things on his own wasn't an option anymore …. Then again ….

As Kiyota in-bounded to Sendoh, the ace quickly passed off to Jin, who was promptly double-teamed by both Maki and Fujima. Jin, though, passed through the double-team back to Sendoh, who used a screen on Akagi by Sakuragi to enter the key. Immediately, Sendoh was faced by an intense-looking Rukawa. Not now, Super Rookie, Sendoh thought, as he went up a quick shot. As Rukawa went up in defense, Sendoh quickly looked around, saw who was open, and before Rukawa could react, passed to a wide-open Kiyota, who drained a three.

Then, as Maki in-bounded to Fujima, Sakuragi turned from his apparent jog up-court, streaked back in a blur as fast as his point guard on Shohoku, Miyagi, had ever managed, stole the ball, and lobbed an alley-oop pass to an air-borne Sendoh, who slammed it through the hoop.

Youhei laughed from the other side of the court. "10-4! Go, Hanamichi!"

Akagi, breathing hard, heard what Youhei had said, and began to wonder … who exactly was training who here? On paper, they had the better team, but … he saw Kiyota and Sakuragi laughing together, and Jin and Sendoh giving each other a high five, while Rukawa stewed under their basket, Maki looked thoughtfully at Sakuragi, and Fujima scowled at Sendoh. "Time-out!" called Akagi.

After Haruko told both teams to head off for a minute's rest, Sakuragi and the rest of his team wandered over to their sideline to drink some Pocari Sweat, while Akagi and his team stood at their sideline. Fujima spoke first. "They are playing to their strengths, and have learned to play as a team to fulfill their desire to win. We need to play to our strengths as well, so we can play together as a team, not as individuals. Maki, you are the best player on this team. If you let me direct the plays, and if you all trust me, we'll get the points we need."

Maki nodded. "You were, and still are, my greatest rival, Fujima, but you have always been a better strategist than me. Your time as player-coach of Shoyo proved that. I agree. Let Fujima call the plays, and we will do the rest. Akagi?"

Akagi nodded. "We can win. We must win."

Maki nodded. "Rukawa?"

Rukawa simply said, "We are strong."

Maki smiled. "Then we are agreed. Fujima, lead on."

Haruko yelled out, "Time's up. Inbound for Maki's team!"

Fujima took the ball behind the line, and passed out to Akagi. As Akagi dribbled the ball up-court, Fujima indicated to both Maki and Rukawa where he wanted them with his head. Rukawa, chosen by Fujima to set a screen on Sakuragi, said to the red-head, "Dumbass. Can't play at all. You're holding your team back."

Sakuragi responded with a snarled, "Fox! You have no points yet, and your team is losing. Who's the dumbass here?!"

Rukawa said, "You. Dumbass." Just then, Akagi, who had outworked Kiyota on defense by using his muscular body to power towards the key, used Rukawa's screen to get by Sakuragi and smash the ball through the hoop. Sakuragi, knowing he had been duped by Rukawa's trash talk, could only watch Akagi's dunk in dismay.

Akagi shouted, "Yes! That's the way."

Fujima smiled, and shouted to his team, "Use best judgement on defense. Man to man! I'll back you up if necessary"

Maki thought to himself, That's the way, Fujima. Freedom to do what we think is right, but step in when necessary.

Sakuragi, in-bounding, tried to get the ball to Jin, but Rukawa was able to get a hand between Jin and the incoming ball to tip it towards Maki. Sakuragi and Kiyota, seeing what had happened, both raced over to double-team Maki, who began to have problems keeping the ball away from their reaching hands. Then Maki felt rather than saw a presence behind him, coming up fast. Maki faked a shot over Kiyota, and then offloaded a back-pass to Fujima, who had kept his promise to help out when necessary by giving Maki an outlet for a pass.

Now with the ball in his hands, Fujima faced Jin, who had rushed over to guard Fujima with everyone else on his team busy with their defensive assignments. This, however, left Akagi, who had already seen what Fujima was intending in his quick glance towards the hoop and the nod of his head, open to receive a pass in the key which allowed him to shoot a quick jumper before anyone could get in front of the shot.

"Nice, Big Brother!" yelled Haruko, who after receiving a scowl from Sakuragi, replied, "Sakuragi ... he's my Big Brother!"

"Big Gorilla is more like it," muttered Sakuragi.

Jin managed to get the ball to Kiyota to start the new possession, but once again, Fujima had pointed out two more players on his team to double-team Jin, and both Rukawa and Akagi responded to Fujima's instructions. Jin, with no other option, bounced the ball through Akagi's legs towards Kiyota, but before Kiyota could get his hands on the ball, Maki streaked in and, stopping short of the three point arc, let fly with a rainbow of a shot which met nothing but net when it came down. And, just like that, the score was 11-10 in their favour.

Sendoh, who been isolated throughout the last three possessions by a variety of players at different times, could only shake his head at what had transpired so quickly. This ... this is a game of teams, Sendoh thought. We're all so good at our various roles, the only way one team will win is if the other team makes one more mistake than they do.

And I don't like making mistakes ...


	7. Chapter 7

The Past IV – Filling in the blanks

As Sendoh brought the ball up the court, hindered by Rukawa's reaching defense all the way, Akagi thought back to the first time he had seen Sakuragi try to play basketball. Couldn't dribble. Couldn't pass. Couldn't shoot. Couldn't play! But, no matter how much he couldn't do something, he worked hard, asked the right questions, and kept improving until, now, he was perhaps the best defensive player in Japan, and one of the better offensive ones as well.

But, still … he held back. Akagi wondered about that back injury. Did it still hurt? It had destroyed Shokoku's run in the Nationals, sure, but not because of the offense or the defense that Sakuragi had brought to the team. Rather, it was the heart. The desire. The same thing Miyagi, and Mitsui … hell, all of them had brought to the team that year, but which only Sakuragi could endlessly tap into to boost his performance. Akagi knew that Sendoh was now trying to do the same thing, find a way to tap into that desire within himself. Was it there?

Akagi watched as Sendoh dribbled between his legs to throw off Rukawa's defense, and then send a behind the back, no look pass to Kiyota. Kiyota. Akagi didn't like that one. Maybe Sakuragi had that one pegged. Wild Monkey. And yet … again, his desire to be the best would only help him this year. Captain of Kainan. Who would have thought? Then again, if Sakuragi could be captain of Shohoku in his final year, why not Kiyota?

And what a surprise that had been, when Anzai-sensei and Miyagi had picked Sakuragi, and not Rukawa, to lead the team ... not. Akagi knew just as well as anyone that Rukawa, while he had the talent to be an on-court leader, was not the leader-type who could lead with words of encouragement. A leader need action and words to be effective. Sakuragi could back up his words with his actions, in a way Rukawa just couldn't.

Akagi saw Kiyota pass to Jin, who was immediately marked by Maki. Another contrast, to be sure, thought Akagi. Two former captains of Kainan, each able to lead well, but Jin had not had the benefit of Maki's presence on the court during his 3rd year, which had led to devastating losses to Shohoku in both the Regionals and Nationals. And Maki … he and Maki had been talking lately, about working together with others at various universities to set up some kind of professional Japanese basketball league. It was Maki's project, but there were definitely enough players interested … even Hanagata and Fujima had expressed desires to be involved, and with Anzai-sensei spearheading the efforts, who knew? But, Akagi knew that Maki wanted a platform to showcase his skills, just as he did … when he wasn't studying, that is. Maki, though, didn't want to study. He wanted to play basketball, pure and simple, and to be the best in the world doing what he loved the most.

Akagi saw Jin smile at Maki, and then begin to elevate for a three pointer. Maki rose to block it, at which point Jin fired a mid-air pass to Sakuragi. Ah. Maki had been surprised that Jin would pass, but he didn't know that Jin had had to reinvent his game to make up for the loss of Maki, becoming more of an all-round player. And now …

Sakuragi turned to face Akagi once again. "Gori! Stay focused on this genius' skills! Don't daydream while I am here, because I want to see your face as I dunk over you!"

Akagi roared, "Show me!" and Sakuragi began to jump high and towards Akagi as he in turn leaped in response. Sendoh and the others could only marvel as these two behemoths went head-to-head against one another, and as Sakuragi managed to overpower Akagi, Fujima had a flashback to the time when Sakuragi had overpowered Hanagata in a similar manner. The referee that day had made a mistake, as Hanagata should have been called for a defensive blocking foul, but that wouldn't happen today. This beast, thought Fujima, has not reached his full potential yet. If only the idea Maki was trying to bring to fruition became a reality, then players like Sakuragi would be able to continue to develop, to show the world that the NBA was not the greatest show on Earth. And, he would have the chance to really become the player he knew in his heart he could be, to not have to worry about coaching, and to just play to the fullest of his own potential.

Akagi hit the ground on his feet, barely, stumbling a bit, as Sakuragi hung off the rim following his massive jam. Sakuragi, looking at Akagi, grinned, and then bellowed, "King Kong dunk, Gori style!" Akagi, grinning despite himself, replied, "Is that all you can do?" Sakuragi dropped to the ground, yelled, "Just you watch this genius!" and ambled back down the court, getting a high five from the unlikeliest of people, Kiyota, as Youhei changed the score to reflect Sendoh's team regaining the lead.

Sendoh, also reversing his direction in preparation for a defensive effort, could only shake his head. With players like these, he thought, losing was not even an option.


	8. Chapter 8

The Past V – Sakuragi's motivation

Sakuragi, smiling to himself, sprinted up the court in preparation to play defense after his monster dunk over Gori. He knew that he could win, but he remembered what it had been like when winning seemed like something which he would never again experience ….

"Now, try the other side." The doctor winced in sympathy as Sakuragi tried to bend to his left, but couldn't manage to go through more than 20 degrees of movement before his back seized up. "It will go away, eventually, young man, but you need to rehabilitate your back religiously."

As his doctor wandered off to look at another patient in the ward, Sakuragi lay back down on his bed and looked glumly out the window at people waling on the pavement leading to the hospital's entrance. A month of therapy, and still minimal results, thought Sakuragi. Why had this happened to him?! He was a genius, the best basketball player on Shohoku, and now … this.

A big sigh escaped the red-head's mouth, and then to his right, a voice spoke up: "You, red-head, why are you so glum?"

Sakuragi ignored the question at first, but after it had been repeated a second time, he looked over at his ward-mate and snarled, "What's it to you?"

The teenager on his right looked a bit surprised, and then smiled. "Nothing, I just wanted to see if you were all right. You looked a bit down after the doctor spoke to you, is all. Sakuragi."

Sakuragi's anger, the fuel which had powered his rise as a basketball player, immediately disappeared as he began to sink back into his funk. "Oh." Then, he wondered to himself about how the boy knew his name. "How do you know my name?" he asked while turning away to face the other direction.

The teenager answered, "Everyone here knows who you are! You're a famous guest here, after your performance in the Nationals! I'm Jinichiro, by the way." Jinichiro smiled again, and then asked, "What will you be missing?"

Sakuragi turned back to look at the other boy, confusion on his face. "Eh? Missing?"

Jinichiro said, "Yes. Missing. You know, what will the doctor be doing to you in surgery?"

Sakuragi replied, "Nothing. My back was hurt in the last game, so I need bed-rest to allow the muscles to recover." Sakuragi's anger came back for an instant. "Bed-rest! All I want to do is play basketball, and I'm stuck in bed, like a …" Then, Sakuragi looked around the ward, and embarrassment shamed him into silence.

The other boy finished his thought, "… cripple? You can say it. Hito over there lost his arm in a motorcycle crash, the foreigner down the hall had the retina of his eye cut by glass in a bar fight … and I am going into surgery for a tumor in my neck, with the possibility of losing my voice if the surgery doesn't go well."

Jinichiro continued, with a smile on his face. "And yet, you are the one that is angry. Don't you see, Sakuragi? You're the lucky one here. You aren't facing life with one eye, one leg, or no voice. You just need to … live life to the fullest. Enjoy what you have, for as long as you have it, and have no regrets."

Sakuragi thought back to the past basketball season. He knew that everyone back at Shohoku was depressed after their final loss in the Nationals … but how could he face his teammates? He had let them down by not being there for him, because he had been selfish enough to play longer than the Old Man told him he could play. He should have listened!

Sakuragi bounced out of bed and pounded the wall behind his bed's headboard in frustration. As he did so, Jinichiro began to clap. Startled, Sakuragi stopped beating his fists against the way and spun around to face Jinichiro. "What?! Why are you clapping?"

Jinichiro stopped clapping and said, "See? Look! Your anger! Without knowing it, you just leapt out of bed with no fear of injury to your back, and I'm betting you don't feel any pain … correct?" As Sakuragi frowned, Jinichiro continued. "Sakuragi, it's mind over body. I'm no philosopher, but even I know that any person can do what they want to as long as they want it enough. If I lose my voice because of my surgery, so be it. I'll just have to learn to speak another way, using sign language, or writing, or painting. I know I'll be fine, I don't' doubt it at all, because no matter what happens, I know I can do whatever it takes to let those around me understand my ideas, my hopes and my dreams. What do you really want, Sakuragi?"

Sakuragi, stunned by Jinichiro's words, had a flashback to a day not so long ago, when Micchi, that troublemaker, broke down in the middle of a fight in the gym with the basketball team upon seeing Anzai-sensei appear. The words that he had said on that day now came out of Sakuragi's mouth, without him even thinking about it: "Basketball. I want to play … basketball."

Jinichiro nodded. "Then, play it! What's stopping you? Not that back! Only yourself. Do what your doctor says, do it religiously, and then do even more, and you will have what you truly want. Or, are you afraid?"

Sakuragi, who would normally have exploded at that comment, now smiled himself. "Jinichiro, if you can live without a voice, then I can certainly do what is needed to play basketball once again! Without a doubt!"

Sakuragi's doctor returned. "What? Why are you out of bed! Get back in, so I can finish my examinations and then decide what pain medicines you need …."

Sakuragi spun to face the doctor. "Bed? Medicine? Bah! Just tell this genius what I need to do to take care of my back and make it stronger, strong enough to play basketball again! Don't worry about the pain, because I will overcome it!"

The doctor looked at Jinichiro in amazement, who simply shrugged his shoulders and said, "What?"

Sakuragi turned to strip the ball from a surprised Maki, and then shot up the court. With Rukawa and Akagi between himself and the hoop, he stopped, spun past an outstretched Rukawa as he tried to steal the ball, dribbled to his inside to avoid Rukawa's desperate attempt to backpedal and force him to the outside again, and launched himself into the air. Akagi, seeing how high Sakuragi was jumping, didn't even challenge the basket, instead moving to the side to watch what was true poetry in motion.

Sakuragi, unaware that the eyes of all players on the court were now on him, kept his own eyes on the hoop as it grew closer, and thought of Jinichiro. Yes, he had lost his voice, but his writing had really taken off, to the point where he was getting interest from numerous magazines to publish his work. He had conquered his difficulties on his own terms, and so had he. Did he still feel pain in his back? He'd be lying if he said no. But, the thrill of playing this game … it more than made up for the small niggles he felt from time to time. There was a time he thought he wouldn't be able to play it ever again … luckily for him, that time was now in the past, and the future … well, it was up to him what the future would hold for him. But, as for the present …

"SLAAAAAM DUUUUUUUUNK!"


End file.
